The annual U.S. Open Sandcastle Competition that many Imperial Beach residents believe put their city on the map is scrambling to organize a smaller version of the event for 2013.

At a sandcastle “revival” meeting held last week at City Hall, a few dozen residents gathered to organize a steering committee. The goal is to have a small group — nine to 11 people — set objectives, dates, activities and find new sources of revenue.

The event’s original committee was forced to call it quits last year when confronted with major fundraising challenges. The last event was held in 2011.

First-generation Imperial Beach resident Leonard Gonzales has competed in sandcastle-building events for 28 years and is team leader of I.B. Posse, which took first place the past two years of the competition.

Gonzales, 38, said initial discussion of discontinuing the event due to lack of funding didn’t seem too ominous.

“There were always funding issues, but you could never really tell how deep the issues were and whether or not it’d be something the committee could overcome,” Gonzales said. “For me … it was a very personal event that really was as big as any of our annual holidays that we celebrate. I actually relate it to Christmas. We’d have lots of family come into town for this event.”

Professional event planners Kent Trollen of Sand Castles Unlimited and Gordon Summer of To Market To Market are potential producers for this year’s competition.

At last week’s meeting, they discussed with residents what the 2013 event would look like and the process for moving forward.

Port Community Services Manager Jim Hutzelman said his agency may be able to contribute $40,000, with the caveat that the amount would decrease in subsequent years, and the event — ultimately — would become self-sustaining.

“Our absolute intent is the idea of diminishing support on the Port’s side as sponsorship comes in,” Hutzelman said. “Our resources are limited in terms of how much revenue is available.”

Summer and Trollen discussed starting small this year, adding that they typically have at least a year to plan major events.

“I want to be honest in the amount of work that needs to be done,” Trollen said. “It’s not the U.S. Open anymore. It can’t return under that name.”

However, not everyone is comfortable with a scaled-down version of the event.

Third-generation Imperial Beach resident Candy Unger said a smaller celebration would take away from the event’s tradition, which she has enjoyed since she was a little girl.

“I attended the meeting because I wanted to make sure that if they’re going redo it, that they consider the community’s input,” Unger said. “It really is about tradition. It’s not about the actual sandcastles, it is about the reunion aspect of the weekend when everybody comes back into town.”

Unger, 38, said the Friday night sandcastle ball is a particular draw.

“It’s put on by the Boys & Girls Club,” she said. “It kicks off the sandcastle weekend.”

Gonzales said that while the event has been a popular attraction, the significance goes beyond that.